Lady Vikes edged in OT

Saturday

Jan 5, 2013 at 8:00 AM

PHIL PERRY

HURRICANE - The Ripley girls basketball team cannot seem to catch a break. It has been that kind of season for the Lady Vikings (0-8) while resting at the bottom of the Eastern division of the Mountain State Athletic Conference at (0-4).

Coach Frashier's girls were coming off of a nail-biter with Ravenswood in the Rod Hudson Memorial Tournament that saw the Lady Vikings fall 48-44 to a talented Devilette squad. Ripley came out of the gate thanks to hot shooting from Chelsey Hager, kelli Poling and Jillian Mullins while playing to a deadlock in the first quarter with the lady redskins, 12-12.The second quarter found both teams unable to find the basket and Hurricane led 17-16 at halftime.

Ripley's pressure defense in the third caused Hurricane to move the ball inconsistently and the lady Vikings held them to only three points in the quarter as Sarah Williams made her presence known defensively in the post.

Senior Ali Cunningham helped to hold one of the MSAC's best players in AAA All-State selection Abby Watson to only 10 points in the game.

Hurricane poured it on in the final period outscoring Ripley 19-14.

Williams hit two clutch free throws in the final minute of regulation and Ripley had a chance to win when they were up by four with 11 seconds to go. After fouls are exchanged and Hurricane hits four free throws to tie the game.

Ripley in-bounded the ball with four seconds to go with the game knotted at 39. Ripley's Kelli Poling caught court length pass and went up for a shot on the baseline and was slammed to the hardwood like a rag doll to no call by the officials and the game went to overtime.

"I was coaching football when J.R. House (Nitro) got five downs against us and in my eyes that was not as bad as what happened to us at Hurricane. I never blame officials for losing a game but it is unfair to these ladies when they put countless hours into their team," said coach Frashier. "They won't get down and they will dig and battle the rest of the season." Ripley was outscored in the overtime 8-4 and the Lady Redskins prevailed on this night, 47-43.